"This is ......"

"Hmm...... Cross Bell's western border, Belgard Gate. Heliga pointed out the window, where he and Faye were sitting on the train to Baryahat, with the golden horses and white unicorn coats of arms clearly visible on the front of the car, "After passing through here, there is the Garelian Gorge, where the Empire is the defense of the Republic, the Garelian Fortress. ”

"That's an exaggeration." Seeing the silhouette of the huge steel giant on the other side of the canyon from a distance, even Fei let out an exclamation.

"Several elite mech divisions are stationed there...... Including the Empire's most prestigious Fourth Mech Division. and......" Heliga paused, "the two powerful guide train guns that were deployed here not long ago. ”

"Can you destroy the whole of Crossbell in two hours...... Indeed, terrifying power. Fei had also heard such rumors, "It's no wonder that Crossbell's people are hostile to the Empire." ”

"It's the same with the Republic. Although they didn't deploy such a thing as a train cannon, they had also been watching Crossbell for a long time, and all kinds of intrigues and small tricks had not stopped. Heliga is accustomed to this, "a game between great powers...... Hey, it's hard to put into words...... Oh, it's here. ”

As we spoke, the train had made its way through the vast valley, gradually moving towards a fortified fortress made of steel. Here, the train will be inspected at the most basic level, and passengers are not allowed to get off the train here to linger or take pictures. A few minutes later, the train started again, and even felt a little faster than the other ones, as if desperate to escape this steel cage.

"The destination is ...... Baryahat, right? ”

"Hmm...... It is a large city in the southern part of the empire with the aristocracy as the main body. It is also the capital of the state of Cruchen, and the ruler of the state, the House of Albarea, is also located there. In other words, it is a city full of luxury and aristocracy...... It's just not quite in line with our style. Furs and jewellery are abundant there, and although they are of high quality, they are also unaffordable. ”

"Your hometown is further south, isn't it?"

"Hmm. Since there is no direct train, you have to make a transfer to Baryahat. Of course, if you prefer, we can also go around Baryahat first. Although the aristocratic residents there are not very friendly, there are some nice people in Artisan Street. ”

“…… Forget it, let's go early. Fei has no interest in this kind of city, "I'm more worried about ...... than that."

"Huh?"

“…… It's nothing. ”

Fei seemed to be troubled by something, tilted her head to the side, and stopped talking. Helriga rolled his eyes and understood Faye's inner thoughts.

"Indeed, if it were a mother, she might be frightened if she knew your origin and experience. But my father's words would definitely not care too much about this little thing. Heliga smiled and patted Faye on the shoulder, "No matter what happened, Faye is my companion now." ”

“…… Well. I'll introduce myself well. ”

"Hmm."

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"Hmm...... Nostalgic air. This place hasn't changed much. After a bumpy drive of several hours, Heliga finally set foot on the land he had been longing for for so long. It's still that cloudy feeling, it's still that kind of humid air.

"It's a very clean town." Fei looked at the clean streets and buildings, "It's just...... Seems like something is missing? ”

"yes...... I also don't think it's as lively as I thought. "Well, we'll talk about this later, let's go back first......"

"Oh, isn't this a young master?" Not long after walking out of the station, an enthusiastic uncle recognized Heliga, "I haven't seen you for two years, haven't you?" I came back very suddenly. ”

"Ah, you're Uncle Yatru of the fishery." Heiliga still remembers this warm, conscientious and responsible uncle, "Are you okay?" ”

"Hmm...... A lot has happened in the past few years since you were away. Surprisingly, the uncle didn't look particularly happy, "I don't work in the fishery anymore...... Because...... Hey, forget it, I can't explain these things clearly. You better ask Your Excellency the Viscount......"

"Ah...... Oh......" Looking at the other party's obvious desire to speak, Helriga frowned, what happened?

Later, as Helliga walked home, he also met some childhood acquaintances. Although everyone seemed to be as enthusiastic as ever, the atmosphere became strange as they chatted, and the conversation could not continue. With this sense of doubt, Heliga finally returned home-

It looks like the courtyard hasn't changed at all, but it's also a little more deserted.

"Father, I'm back." Looking at the middle-aged man who walked out of the house, what kind of emotion welled up in Hailiga's heart? He himself is not very clear.

“…… Welcome back. Helriga. You...... I've grown up. The burly Werner looked much older for some reason at this time, but his enthusiasm for his son still did not weaken, "However, it seems that there is no intention of the letter to inform him in advance?" ”

"Hmm...... Something happened before, because a series of things were too impactful, so I forgot about this kind of detail......" Heliga scratched his head in embarrassment, "By the way, father, this is ......"

"Fei. Faye Clauser. Fei took a step forward, and her determined appearance made it impossible to tell that she was actually a somewhat lazy girl.

——————————————————————————————

"Heliga, you've noticed, right?" After a brief pleasantry, Warner called his son to his study alone, his expression serious.

"Hmm...... Somehow, everyone became a little cold. Helliga nodded, "What's going on?" ”

"There's no way, the economy is in recession, and their lives are ...... Well, not so happy anymore. Werners smiled wryly, looking a few years older for a moment, "As for the reason...... I think you can guess that too. ”

“…… Duke El Bareaa's house. After a while, Helliga coldly spat out a name.

"yes...... As you know, the Duke's family has always been very dissatisfied with our family for its neutral stance, and it is not that you have not seen their methods before you leave. Because of their intervention, the economic development here continues to decline. So in this case, not long ago, I finally agreed to the conditions of the Duke's family. ”

"Stand in line with the aristocratic faction...... Is it? ”

"Hmm...... Don't show that look, Heiliga. Werner gently touched his son's head, "In a sense, I, who fought against the duke, was also one of the factors that caused their bad life in the eyes of the people in the town." The relationship between the lord and the lord is intricate, involves many things, and is not so easy to control. I also communicated with other neutral nobles, and when I saw this, I realized how much damage my previous protests would cause to the territory as a whole. Of course, there are special cases, such as the Shu Huaze family, which is good friends with the royal family, and the Yarsed family, which has a good reputation in the martial arts world, but because of various factors, they were not involved in these things. ”

"Father...... You...... Great work. Faced with this fact, Heiliga didn't know what to say.

"Anyway, it's going to be over right away. As long as the Duke's family no longer interferes with our economic development with their subordinate means, people's living standards should be able to return to normal. Werners waved his hand, "So, my son...... Let me hear what you've seen and learned during your two-year journey. ”